Energy security important to define sovereignty, independence of EU partners

Energy security is one of the important issues to define sovereignty and independence of the EU partners, European Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy Stefan Fule said Sept. 9.

He made the remarks at the opening of the fourth informal meeting of the EU Eastern Partnership members' foreign ministers in Baku.

Fule said the outcome of the informal meeting could be and should be strengthening the positions of Eastern partners, in particular Ukraine.

A confrontation between some regions and the central government has been going on in Ukraine for several months already.

"We will talk about inclusiveness which is another key feature of eastern partnership as we remain committed to advance eastern partnership of six partner countries," Fule added.

He went on to add that all these six countries are equally important for the EU, adding that their independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity are very important.

Fule also expressed hope that after the meeting there will be a better understanding of what the EU wants on one side and what can be done jointly to bring peace and stability to the region.

The fourth informal meeting of the EU Eastern Partnership members' foreign ministers kicked off in Baku on Sept. 9.

The meeting's main objectives include expanding the partnership within the EU and discussing the progress made since the last year's summit in Vilnius.

It is projected to hold a press conference following the meeting.

The informal meeting is being attended by the European Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy Stefan Fule, EU Deputy High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Helga Schmidt, and FMs of Georgia and Moldova, and deputy FMs of Belarus and Ukraine.